City law firm represents key BBC figures in Savile case

City law firm Mills & Reeve has emerged as representing two key players at the heart of the BBC Savile investigation.

It was revealed at the weekend that the Cambridge lawyers wrote to The Sunday Times early in September, representing Helen Boaden, BBC director of news (who yesterday “stepped aside” from her job until the review into Savile is completed), and Mark Thompson, the former director general, who this week began his new job as chief executive of The New York Times.

According to The Sunday Times, the letter stated that neither Boaden nor Thompson had any involvement in the decision not to broadcast the Newsnight story which would have exposed Jimmy Savile as a paedophile but was “pulled”, reportedly for editorial reasons.

The date of the letter is significant, as a month later Mr Thompson reportedly told an MP that he had no knowledge of Savile’s activities.

The MP, Rob Wilson, told the newspaper: “I am concerned that Mark Thompson’s legal representatives were writing to The Sunday Times on September 6, specifically about the Savile allegations, yet the former director-general apparently did not have any real knowledge of those allegations.

“Did he not speak to the legal representatives? Did he not know they were sending a warning letter? This all does appear rather strange.”

The Sunday Times reported at the weekend that it had been carrying out its own investigation into Savile for its magazine and had submitted questions to the BBC.

“In its letter, Mills & Reeve warned that the proposed article ‘should not be published’,” the newspaper said.

Mills & Reeve told the News yesterday: “We can confirm our involvement but we are unable to comment on any matters relating to legal advice we have provided.”

Comments

Having no knowledge of Saville activities is entirely different from not knowing about accussations mad in a programme. An accussation is not proof and thus far there is actually no substantive evidence that saville did anything. NOr does an accussation by a third party mean that Mr Thomnpson was aware of Saville doing anything. But then MP Wilson is known for deliberate misunderstanding to get column inches.He should be ashamed for using child abuse as a vehicle for his own career.